Thursday, August 5, 2010

Follow the Leader

I had a dear and very knowledgeable friend to dinner just before we left on our trip. As we savored strawberry shortcake he asked, "Have you seen the article on Bunny Mellon in Vanity Fair?" Hadn't. "You must read it." He speaks in design declaratives and when he tells me I must, I do. I am just beginning to garden so I thought that was why he had recommended the piece. Then, the second paragraph, "Nothing should be noticed." From a woman who bought Rothkos by the dozen (thirteen, actually.)

Not only was it a treat to read about the very privateBunny Mellon~she's in a class beyond compare, as the song goes~but her trompe l'oeil garden room/potting shed was positively staggering. The combination ofwealth and great taste is rare, but when it happens,watch out!

Patricia O'Dell Shackelford

aka Mrs. Blandings

Come On In

I wandered into one of my favorite shops eight years ago to buy a dog ball and, through a very indirect route, ended up here writing about decorating, my family and life. My posts are not as frequent as they used to be, but you're welcome to drop in anytime.

What's that? Why "Mrs. Blandings?" Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a 1940's movie starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy chronicling their adventures in renovating. In the movie, Loy delivers an iconic description of paint colors that nearly every design aficionado knows by heart. She is my muse.